Predicting The Future
by Starsurfer108
Summary: Anderson loses her psychic ability. Can she still be useful, and is Dredd willing to help? ONESHOT. COMPLETE.


Dredd ambled into the Chief Judge's office. He was respectful, but not overly respectful, considering they were both essential parts of the system. There had been a mutual admiration between them for quite some time.

He stood, waiting for her to speak.

"It's Anderson."

"Dead?"

"No. She's in a coma. In the last raid, she was overcome by mutant haters. Backup got to her in time, but she's in a bad way."

"And what's that got to do with me?"

"You know the current system is failing, and Psi could give us the advantage we need. You know how powerful she is. She's been repeating your name while unconscious. She may have a special bond with you."

"Or she wants to kill me."

The Chief Judge smirked. "We think your presence may help speed her recovery. Give her a familiar face. Or at least a familiar mouth."

"You want me to babysit." He didn't mind the implication that she was more valuable to the city than him, even though he was exemplary in his class. Despite his frequent grandstanding with perps, he didn't have an ego – he would relentlessly do what was best for the city.

"We want you to spend any extra time you can with her. Understood?"

Dredd gave a nod.

-0-

It was almost midnight when he walked silently into her room at the hospital. He unzipped his flak jacket and took his helmet off, ignoring the tenderness in his ribs caused by the day's work. Every injury he sustained was annoying. Even though not immediately fatal, it could slow his reaction time by a split-second which could be the difference between life and death on the harsh streets.

He tried to make himself comfortable for the night by tilting the rather rickety visitor's chair in the room. Agitated, he wriggled, trying to get a better position, only to land on the floor with a thud as the chair fell to pieces.

_Fuck._

-0-

Taking in air sharply, Anderson opened her eyes, adjusting to the dim morning light. She noticed a man draped on the moderately-sized window sill. He had short brown hair, a rugged appearance, leather uniform pants and a black military singlet.

He stirred, and straightened as he realised she was watching him.

"Who are you?"

"Dredd."

She rolled her eyes. "Dredd wouldn't do that. He wouldn't…" her eyes focused on his mouth "…remove his helmet," she finished weakly. Dredd looked nonplussed. Surprised, she continued looking at him with a slight frown, wanting to know why he was visiting but not finding appropriate words to ask him.

"Following orders. You're the Psi division. Future to the city," he said, answering her unspoken question.

She blinked. "Where is everyone?"

"What do you mean?"

Her body froze as a med student walked past her door. Her eyes widened. "I've lost my psychic ability."

-0-

He was in the Chief Judge's office again.

"Apparently when they'd captured her, they'd given her some injection which neutralised her ability. We don't know if or when that ability will return," she said bitterly.

"Too bad."

She turned to face him squarely. "She still wants to be a Judge."

His mouth fell open. "She'll be mincemeat."

"She doesn't mind that. She says it's better to be mincemeat quickly rather than over a lifetime."

"That depends on how many others get made mincemeat along with her."

The Chief Judge nodded. "It's your call, Dredd. She'd need to pass the rookie aptitude test again considering the circumstances, and we think it's better if you're her supervisor since you'll be able to compare her performance. So… will you allow her to be taken out?"

He nodded, pursing his lips. "One way or another."

-0-

"Anderson."

"Sir?"

"I don't do 'nice'. But I want to make it clear that I didn't pass you before because of your psychic ability. I passed you because of your guts. I assume you still have that."

"Sir!"

"That said, if you can't stand on your own two feet, you're a liability. Don't expect me to extend the same courtesies as I would a civilian. It's better for you and the city that you die today if you can't defend yourself or get the job done."

"Yes, Sir." Her voice was strong.

"Your show, _rookie_. Let's see if you've improved on your below-average scores."

She looked through the list of crimes, and smirked when she saw one that looked familiar. "Let's take Peach Trees. Multiple homicide."

-0-

They walked into the atrium to see three dead bodies splattered on the ground. There wasn't any evidence of foul play other than the fact they were deceased.

The paramedic wandered over to them. "Hey. I called it in as a homicide, but I have a witness here that says otherwise."

Dredd looked at the man in question. "Man, I see 'em, and they just fell!"

"Just fell." Dredd stared him down. The man gulped.

There were some faint screams from above. Everyone looked to locate the sound. There was someone standing on the ledge of the 20th floor with a woman screaming next to him, pointing at him. "Somebody stop him!"

The man jumped, using a perfect swan dive.

People in the atrium screamed and ran for cover.

The Judges and the medic looked on as the man landed with a loud 'splat'.

Dredd cocked his head. "Hm."

-0-

They were in the medic's office, who was pulling up the data on the screen. "All four victims were registered between floors 20 to 30. That's all I got."

"Any connection, rookie?"

"Well, those floors are not slums. No signs of drug use or gang activity in the deaths. Possible personal connection between victims?"

"If it was a suicide pact, one was late." He turned and walked to the elevator, leaving Anderson scrambling to follow.

-0-

The first victim's apartment looked quite upper-class, full of modern commodities.

His elderly neighbour was sobbing. "John was a good man. I saw him before he jumped. I said hello to him but he ignored me. He had a huge smile on his face and just dived off the ledge."

They thanked her, and she went back inside.

"Doesn't sound like suicide if he was smiling," Dredd commented.

"Not necessarily," Anderson replied. "He might have been relieved that he didn't have to continue to face whatever was making him unhappy."

Dredd looked like he'd just heard the stupidest thing ever. "If even rich people want to off themselves, Mega City One wouldn't be overcrowded."

"Money's not everything, Sir," Anderson muttered.

Dredd's mouth remained downturned in a look of distaste. "For people just trying to survive, it helps, don't you think?"

"Yes, Sir," Anderson replied, unsatisfied.

"Let's move."

-0-

They drew closer to the second victim's apartment, only to find the door open and the sound of movement inside. Both of them drew their weapons and silently inched forward.

With a nod to each other, they sprang into the apartment in unison, only to find a young boy lifting a video game set. He looked angry and upset that he'd been caught, but didn't exactly look cooperative.

"That yours?" Dredd said sarcastically, keeping his gun aimed.

"It is _now_," the kid replied with equal sarcasm. "That bitch ain't got no use for cool video games now he's dead."

"You want to follow him to his grave, kid? Fine by me."

The kid made an exaggerated gesture of fear, then stood there boldly. "You want to waste me, cop? Go right ahead. I bet you don't have the guts."

Dredd remained unmoved. The kid's breathing increased as he realised his bluff didn't work.

At this, Anderson stepped in. "Sir, he may have a good reason for being the way he is."

Dredd turned his head. _"May?"_

She blinked. Usually she relied on her psychic ability to determine accuracy, but that wasn't an option now. Even so, she only wanted to punish those who were definitely guilty and was reluctant to act when she was unsure, as her goal was to help people and she knew from past experience exactly how imperfect the system was.

Dredd looked at him. "So what's the reason, kid? Your Mama dropped you one too many times?"

He stood there shaking. "Fuck you, Judge."

Anderson knew Dredd was irritated and was at an impasse. She walked forward and crouched, taking off her helmet so the kid could see her face. "So what _is_ the reason?"

"Man, people like you can't understand."

"I come from a block like this. I understand."

"Then you _know_ why, and it's not like I have to tell you," the kid said defiantly.

"Let's see… you spend day in and day out trying to survive. You have to keep looking over your shoulder. You want to be like the strong ones, the gang members, so you can feel safe, so you can have a future. You hate the way that people who have better lives don't feel obligated to help you, even though it would make a small difference to them and a large difference to you."

"You a psychic?" he said, blinking back tears.

She smirked. "No, I'm not."

She let the kid off with a warning. Dredd didn't interfere – to what extent it was out of agreement with her decision, or simply wanting the impression of solidarity between Judges… she didn't know.

"You took your helmet off," he grumbled, emphasising that a Judge was never truly out of danger.

"No big deal," she said, smiling, as she popped it back on.

He didn't look pleased. Taking slow steps, he looked at the discarded top-end video game console. "Float On," he said, reading out the name on the game cartridge. Disgusted at the indulgent lifestyle of the first two victims which made the investigation much less worthwhile in his mind, he stormed out.

-0-

They were now in the elevator to the next destination. Dredd was silent, seething, on edge. Anderson knew she had been pushing the boundaries with him, but she surmised that he must have been alright with the outcome with the kid else he would have stepped in. Even so, he still looked irritated at the pandering involved, the unorthodox methods. She knew him well enough to know that in his book, people simply had to do the right thing with very little leeway.

She wanted to address the issue, and better sooner than later. "Good cop, bad cop," she said, smirking, implying they both had a hand in prompting the kid to open up.

"And which one are you?"

She shook her head, a small smile on her face.

-0-

"Another rich piece of shit," Dredd announced as they stepped into the third apartment. Hearing no response from Anderson, he added "Seems like you're biased, rookie."

"Yes, Sir. Towards the living."

Dredd let out a small 'hm', and continued pacing around the apartment. "Float On, again," he said, picking up the game console. "Maybe there's something in that."

He started to remove his helmet, and froze when he noticed Anderson staring at him, shocked. "What?"

She blinked, self-conscious, and looked down the hallway, maintaining her guard. "You're removing your helmet in public, that's all."

"This is getting ridiculous," he muttered as he took his helmet off and put the game headgear on.

After a few minutes, he took off the gear. "Very interesting. It simulates the ability to fly, and the setting is an exact replica of where the person lives."

"You think the game tricked these people into jumping?"

"Maybe, though I doubt there'd be a 100% kill rate. Bad for business."

"So the game developer is killing some people intentionally?"

Dredd stared at her for what seemed like a longish time, then walked out without saying a word.

Anderson realised what he was going to say. "Sorry, Sir. I realise you're not psychic."

Dredd stopped and looked at her inquisitively.

"No, Sir. That was a lucky guess."

He immediately turned again and they went on their way.

-0-

On the way to the fourth victim, Dredd looked preoccupied.

"Sir?"

"It's… nothing."

"Sir, if you aren't honest with me, it could jeopardise our mission."

Dredd pursed his lips, but he knew she was right. "My thoughts are blurred. Like I'm falling asleep."

She frowned. There was an unspoken agreement between them that they'd be on the lookout for any more unusual behaviour.

-0-

Outside the door, she noticed that Dredd wasn't next to her. She turned and knew that there was something amiss as Dredd was making his way to the balcony ledge.

"Stun!" she yelled, and shot him before he could jump. Dredd groaned, spasming from the electric shock.

She pulled him to safety. "Sir, are you alright?!"

"Nothing… like a stun gun… to wake you up," he managed to say.

She looked relieved.

"How did you know I was going to jump?" he asked, staggering to his feet.

"You were smiling, Sir."

Dredd stared at her for a moment, but didn't seem to have an overt reaction. "Let's find this game developer, shall we?"

-0-

Dredd and Anderson wandered into the complex and explained their situation. Shuddering, the receptionist immediately scrambled to find help.

A sales rep came out and greeted them with an overly fake grin. "I hear you're having some difficulty with our latest product, Float On."

"You might say that. Seems to make me forget about gravity."

"It's not to be used for any extended periods of time, you see, Sir."

"I used it for three minutes and I already think I'm a bird."

The sales rep started to sweat, but stuck to his guns. "Perhaps you had too much coffee this morning?"

"No."

"Too much food? Too little food? Not enough water? Sensitivity to cold or light?"

Dredd and Anderson looked at each other. "Exactly how long is this list?"

"It's all in the fine print, Sir," the sales rep said smoothly. "What we're doing is perfectly legal."

"I'll judge that," growled Dredd. "Since we're such amateurs, perhaps you'd like to give us a demonstration of how this product works."

The sales rep's smile fell. "I'm afraid… I can't… I mean…"

Dredd grabbed him and forced him to the nearest display model. The sales rep had turned grey with fear.

Dredd gripped his throat. "Either you shut down this whole operation and recall the product, or we find out exactly how bad video games are for you."

The sales rep tried to respond, but ended up choking. He spluttered as Dredd released him. "I don't have the power," he said through rasping breaths.

"Well, get me the person who does, and I'll guarantee you a lifetime sentence in the cubes," Dredd demanded. "Everyone here is guilty of attempted murder of a Judge. The sentence would otherwise be death."

The sales rep had gathered some composure, but looked resentful. "Lifetime in a cube? What exactly is a cube, anyway?"

"There's actually a movie about it, called 'Cube', made in 1997. That should tell you all you should need to know."

"Hmmm… haven't seen it… can you sell it to me?" the sales rep said.

Dredd gritted his teeth. "It slices… it dices…"

The sales rep paled. "Erm… well, maybe if I introduce you to the boss, we can discuss options."

"There are no options."

"Yes, there are!" yelled the rep, grabbing for a concealed gun. Anderson quickly shot him.

"Was wondering when you'd make yourself useful," grumbled Dredd.

Her mouth contorted into a wry grimace. But she was alright- she didn't exactly expect Dredd to make things easy for her. "And I suppose you'd like a cup of tea, too?" she said sarcastically, and disappeared into an adjacent room, leaving Dredd confused.

Suddenly, all hell broke loose as gunmen entered from all areas.

"I want him alive," came a creepy voice from the shadows.

Dredd fired at some in desperation, but he was outnumbered. They disarmed him, putting the lawgiver on a side-table.

Dredd was forced on his knees in the middle of the room.

One of the henchmen's head exploded from a bullet. They turned to look; it was Anderson, without her helmet, who had snuck in. Despite her best efforts, she was also overcome and disarmed.

"Why are you not wearing a helmet?" hissed the voice.

"I'm Psi division. And I know something you don't," she said bravely.

Laughter came from the shadows. "I doubt that. Else you wouldn't have come here."

Anderson gritted her teeth.

"Remove his helmet," said the voice. "It's so impersonal if I can't see their faces when I execute them."

"Wait…" said Dredd. But it was only delaying the inevitable.

One of them ripped the helmet off his head. There was a collective gasp in the room. The man holding the helmet dropped it, looking shocked.

"He looks… absolutely normal," said one of them.

"Yeah, I was expecting he would at least be missing an eye, or something," said another.

"It's probably because he usually keeps his helmet on, you idiots," said the creepy voice. The figure stepped into the light. It was a thin, pale-skinned youngish man with shortish dark hair.

Dredd rose to his feet, staring him square in the face. "There's no way I'll be on my knees for this."

Anderson followed suit.

Dredd grimaced. "So, let me guess… you're just another pansy-ass kid with a bone to pick with society."

The boss clenched his fist. "Don't you ever dare to-"

Anderson quickly kicked Dredd's helmet into the boss' face. Both of them rushed forward. Dredd grabbed him and tossed him off the balcony, watching as he hit the ground. He then turned around to address the thugs.

"Your meal ticket is dead. You'd only be making your sentence worse if you resisted."

They now could see Dredd's expression, which felt like looking into the eyes of a devil. Wordlessly, they all gave up.

Dredd put his helmet back on and made them line up against the wall.

Backup arrived and arrested the thugs, leaving Dredd and Anderson alone in the room.

"Assessment's over."

"Yes, Sir."

"You got your primary weapon taken away from you."

"Actually, Sir, that was _your_ gun they took from me," she replied, patting her holster which still had her gun in it. "I grabbed it from the table when I entered the room."

Dredd did not look pleased. "You've taken a lot of liberties with the law, and with me today. It's time to show you who's boss," he said, roughly pushing her into a wall.

She gasped.

"You used to be a psychic. Now you only have your body on your side," he said, his intentions clear as he ran a finger down her jawline.

"Go fuck yourself," she spat, shoving him away and striding towards the elevator. While other judges had been lax with the celibacy laws considering the city would turn a blind eye given the desperate need for more judges, she was angry and disgusted that Dredd would do that. He'd betrayed her trust, and she felt it more keenly than if anyone else had done the same. It was true, albeit unwise, that her faith in the judicial system had greatly depended on one person.

"Anderson."

She stopped and tilted her head, still livid.

"Pass."

Her mouth fell open and she fully turned to face him. It rang true to her that Dredd had been putting on an act all this time, behaving differently in order to test her.

"Anyone who can resist me deserves a pass," he said dryly as he walked past her towards the elevator.

She giggled. She knew that some people had developed an attraction to him, one even resigning as a Judge due to her infatuation with him – an attitude that must be unfathomable to him considering his single-minded dedication to the law which, at the very least, would not make him a good partner.

"Why are you laughing?" he asked, deadpan.

"No reason, Sir," she said, collecting herself, knowing he was just being playful.

END

A/N: FYI, Cube (1997) is a Canadian horror/suspense movie. A large cube made of smaller room-sized cubes, and some are booby-trapped. A lot of people say that it feels like a Twilight Zone episode.

The whole collective gasp at Dredd's helmet being removed is a bit of a satire – in the early days of the comic, his helmet was removed and the editor censored Dredd's face. Everyone around him looked shocked and said he should die because he's so ugly.

EDIT: regarding the sexual harassment theme at the end, I want to clarify that I'm NOT taking the subject lightly. I see it as a way for Dredd to test whether she would compromise her morals, and Dredd actually wanted her to stand up for herself as ferociously as she did, and thus both of them are against that kind of behaviour. I had to put the "it rang true he was acting" because I didn't want there to be any doubt in Anderson's mind as to his intentions, and somehow Dredd would have known that she'd see it that way too once he revealed his bluff. So they both knew each other to some extent, hence this could happen. If there was a doubt in Dredd's mind that Anderson wouldn't believe that he was only testing her, he wouldn't have done it.

The whole sequence can seem out of the blue (hence Anderson's extreme anger and hurt), but the reason I liked it was to hear Dredd say "Anyone who can resist me deserves a pass", which I think is quite funny. I like characters who have a lot of fans, but wouldn't really want them. (like Loki)


End file.
